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Battle of Puerto Carrera
The Battle of Puerto Carrera was the last great battle of the Frankish Conflict of the South Atlantic in which the Federal Republic of Patagonia was defeated and disestablished the next day by Queen Fredagund I of Argentina. The Battle took place between March 22th of 17 NE and April 3rd of 17 NE, after the armies of Queen Fredagund I managed to secure the south of Neuquén. An opening campaign lead to the capture of Esquel, and after the death of Consul Walter Martinez, Alejandro Bascuñan descided to hold a last resource defend at the capital with his 12.000 troops and 4.000 allies. Invasion of Patagonia On January 6th the forces of the North Anes Conference managed to arrange a ceasefire with the Santiago Confederation. Santiago and her allies would allow the use of their ports as base of operations against Patagonia on the Pacific. This would allow the royalist forces to assault the heart of Patagonian Power in the west much more efficiently, instead of a much more difficult campaign through the eastern side. On Late January, the first Arican Expedition landed 7.000 troops on Chiloé. The island was quickly occupied without mayor resistance. Patagonia was still fighting on the territory of Neuquén, and a landing had not been forseen so fast after the Battle of the Maipo. The following landing took place two days later, when the Iquique Royal Army landed on Chaitén, not too far from Chiloé. This time the FARP answered, and managed to stop the landing for eight hours. Finally, only 4.000 troops made it before a storm made things more difficult. In Chiloé, Patagonia managed to stop the advance by Arica, and a minor battle took place near Ancud. However the Patagonians were victorious, the remaining 3.000 troops pulled back to the coast. By January 16th, the 4th Western Division assaulted Chaiten and recovered it, however the ARP was unable to stop the Royalist Landing, wich took place far more to the south, in the Steffen Fjord, between both ice fields, and southwest of Puerto Carrera. Over 23.000 troops made it before a new storm front arrived, and secured a large beach head. By then the Neuquenian Front was breaking, and 12.000 troops were being called to the country to defend it. In February 7th Esquel was attacked. 8.000 Patagonians were killed and 4.000 escaped south, while the Royalist Forces now grew in power. In the first week of March, Gasta Zupka secured the eastern coast, taking Comodoro Rivadavia, and marched to Puerto Carrera with 6.000 troops. A series of battles around Rio Mayo slowed him down, but arrived to the Lake Buenos Aires on March 16th. Fredagund arrived herself at the head of 24.000 troops on March 18th, and started to close in to the city a few days later. The Battle By then the Patagonians had mustered 12.000 troops of their remaining military, mostly drained out in Buenos Aires, Córdoba and Neuquén. Alejandro Bascuñan, who assumed as Consul in February 2nd, descided to use guerrilla tactics to earn time, while organizing the defense of the city. Air elements of the 5th, 6th, 12th, 16th, 17th and 27th wings of the FARP Western Command carried out attacks on the Royalist Forces between March 20th and March 22th. By the end of it, Fredaguns started the assault on the city. The force of the Archon of Salta arrived following the coast of the lake, and sent in 6.000 troops while more were arriving from the east. fredagund joined the assault with air drop units and together they accounted for 7.500 troops that faced the 55th and 31th batallions of the 1st Western Division, together made of 8.000 troops. In March 23th, 10.000 troops of the Royalist Army marched through the Avellaneda and Buenos Aires neighbourhoods, north of the city. Artillery placed in the mountains by the 3rd, 4th, 5th, 9th, 14th and 18th Artillery regiments opened fire on them, while they moved through populated areas. The Royalists pulled back, but not without setting aflame to the neighbourhoods and capturing over 500 civilians, who were laked executed at the sight of the defenders or transformed into chimeras to feed the royalist lines. Later that day, the eastern side of the front broke with the irruption of 2.400 troops of the Buenos Aires Auxiliaries. In March 24th the air bombing started, and the FARP was descimated by early on the 25th. The 26th Fredagund doubled the air assault, and several neighbourhoods were on fire. By then, Alejandro Bascuñan feared a close quarter battle would take place, and seeked a way to evacuate the civilians to the south. However, Fredagund had encircled the city and assured herself no civilian would be spared. Bascuñan knew the defense was hopeless, and readied a plan to save as many as he could. By March 28th the Royalist Forces had assambled more than 25.000 troops outside the city, and iniciated the attack on all sides but south, as the lake covered the southern side of the city. Later that day Bascuñan was killed on a rocket attack, and several blocks of the northern corridor were taken, while the artillery force was evacuated to further eastwards mounts. Diego Kuvic assumed the defense of the city, and carried on Bascuñan´s Plan. On March 29th the city was under evacuation through the south western side. The bridge connecting the north and south shores near Fachinal was retaken by a succesfull air raid of the 6th Northern Division. Over 200.000 civilians were evacuated, while the circle was disrupted by the artillery force. The gap stayed open for several hours, until Fredagund´s main force appeared from the south west. Over 70.000 civilians were captured and executed. On March 30th the city was under a massive bombardment, and command accounts tell of 20.000 civilians still inside. By then, the area of control of the Patagonians was reduced to the main valley and Puerto Rey, were the 1st Spartan-Patagonian Brigade held its ground. Kuvic also managed to open a gap, by using the remaining artillery to drill a passage on the northern flank, wich had been diminished at the behest of the southwestern flank. April 1st started the operation and by April 2nd it was fully under way, with the air control of the Franks partially disrupted. At nighfall the last elements of the defenders remained in the city, among them the 46th Brigade of the Western 2nd Division and the 1st Spartan-Patagonian Brigade. The 46th stayed behind simulating a strong defence and driving the royalists into an all-out attack on the final squares, while the last forces evacuated. At 11:35 pm the Consular Palace was taken by the royalists, while only the 46th resisted in the central square. By 4 am it was completely defeated. Aftermath Official propaganda spoke of over 40.000 POWs armed with Patagonian guns at the city, this was later changed to 5.000, along with over 15.000 civilians. Many of them were executed or genetically modified, although royalist propaganda tells that over the half received royal pardons as rebels and sent to work on the fields. Puerto Carrera was destroyed the next day, Fredagund using the event as the official end of the Federal Republic of Patagonia. Some members of the Consular Cabinet were forced to sign the surrunder document and call all remnants of resistance to give in. Although the State is generally accepted as deceased, resistance groups still exist. After the battle, many of the forces that fled hid in the Ice Fields, and later moved closer to the sea. Civilians were slowly allowed to return into the society that had been radically changed, as all movement and urban settlements in Patagonia had been outlawed. Only minor farms still exist in Patagonia. All mayor cities wer nuked, minor towns were evacuated and either burned or fully demolished with artillery. The Battle is considered the end of the Frankish Conquest. Buenos Aires and Córdoba suffered a similar fate than Patagonia, but both later repopulated. Bariloche was also repopulated, and the Patagonian Northern Territory is now controled by the Franks and a Patagonian Nobility placed in power by Queen Fredagund. Tierra del Fuego and other southern territories suffered bombardments by the air force for months, and all major cities were destroyed, however, Fredagund´s Law is not applied south of the Santa Cruz River.